


One Spring Day

by Morpheus626



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29750127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: Set in 1988. There's a planned get together at Freddie and Jim's for the band, originally only for them and Jim, but when Roger can't get a sitter for Rory (Felix safe with his mum), she becomes a part of the day, in a bigger way than any of them intended. AKA: Rory wanders off and gives her father (and everyone else too really) one hell of a fucking time.
Relationships: Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	One Spring Day

"Roger, we're ready to head over. I know you said you've got Rory, have you got her ready to go?" Brian asked, leaning out of the kitchen to the sitting room. 

But Roger wasn't there. Instead, he was stood at the front door, which was hanging open, pale as if he were dead.

"Rog?" 

"How the fuck?" Roger mumbled, clearly horrified. "Her mum is going to kill me. Hell, I'm going to kill me." 

"Roger, what happened?"

Roger gestured to the door. "I was out of the room for a minute, the door must not have been locked, and she's just tall enough to reach. I literally just turned around, and discovered she was..."

"Oh fuck," Brian whispered, horrified. 

\--

"Who on earth is ringing the bell like that?" Freddie called down. "Someone answer it before the bell gives out!"

Jim rushed to the front door, only to be met with an older man, holding a sniffling Rory Taylor. 

"She had this address in the little Emergency Contacts booklet in her coat pocket," the man scolded, and forced Rory into Jim's arms. "Keep an eye on your damn kids! She could have been hit by a car, for pity's sake!" 

Jim shut the door softly, and stared puzzled at Rory. "How did you get here?"

Rory shrugged. 

"That's...you didn't just fall out of the sky here, you can't just shrug," Jim replied, even as he remembered he was talking to a two year old. 

Rory shrugged again.

"Okay, that's on me for expecting more," Jim sighed. "Shall we go see Uncle Freddie and wait for your Dad to come in?"

"No Dad," Rory replied. 

"Very funny, but we aren't leaving your dad outside," Jim scolded playfully as he made his way upstairs. "Freddie! We've got a visitor."

Freddie met them as he walked out of their bedroom, smiling as Rory reached her arms out to him and grinned. 

"We do! Where's Roger?" Freddie asked as he took Rory from Jim. "Or did you lock him out?"

"No," Rory giggled. 

"According to the man that brought her to the door, she was just...outside the house," Jim replied. "No idea what Roger's doing that he let her wander off. Not like him, that."

"You're just trouble, aren't you?" Freddie teased Rory. "Making things difficult for your dad?"

"Yeah," Rory nodded enthusiastically. 

"At least you own it," Freddie said as he led the way back downstairs. "Your brother doesn't, he plays it off. Sort of like your dad on occasion, actually."

"Don't let Roger hear that," Jim chuckled. 

"Oh, he knows how he is," Freddie said. "Really though, where is he?" 

"Home," Rory offered. 

"That's not possible," Freddie laughed. "Then how did you get here, darling?"

"Walk," Rory replied. "By puppies!"

Jim and Freddie's smiles started to fall. 

"You walked," Freddie said slowly. "Did Uncle Brian come over, did he help walk you here?"

"At home!" Rory replied, in a tone that suggested she'd never heard such a stupid thing in her life. 

"No," Jim hesitated. "She's too little-"

"Not little!" Rory protested.

"Sorry, no, you aren't," Jim said. "But still, you didn't walk here on your own."

"Yeah!" Rory crowed triumphantly. "Big girl!" 

They shared a horrified glance. 

"You could have been hurt!" Freddie hissed. "And your poor father must be absolutely panicking; Jim, call him-" 

"On it," Jim nodded, and dashed towards the nearest phone. 

"And you," Freddie said, walking to the kitchen where he set Rory to sit on the counter. "Are going to have a snack with me, and do your best to tell me how you got here." 

Rory nodded, happily taking the offered crackers Freddie set out on a plate for her. 

"Start from the top."

\---

"Roger, breathe," Brian soothed. "We'll find her; she's two, how far could she go?"

Roger had tears in his eyes, jogging fast enough down the sidewalk that even at his quickest, Brian was struggling to keep up. 

"But it's that she got out at all!" Roger protested. "She's not a cat, for fuck's sake! And I let her out, and if she's hurt or something, I will never forgive myself-" 

"She'll be fine," Brian interrupted. "Even if she got further out, John is driving around now, and he'll see her for sure."

"She needs to hold my hand to cross the street, what if she's been hit by a car?" Roger crumpled to his knees, the tears falling hard and fast now. 

"She hasn't been," Brian said. "She's probably sitting in someone's yard, and they're waiting for us to walk up and find her. There's lots of families round here, no mum or dad is going to let someone else's kid come to harm if they can help it."

But Roger was gone, a sobbing mess, and all Brian could think to do was start to drag him back to his house. 

Where, unbeknownst to them, the phone was ringing off the hook. 

\---

"No answer," Jim sighed as he joined them in the kitchen. "They must be out looking for her."

"Shit," Freddie muttered. "They won't presume she got this far away, poor Roger."

"I'll try again in a few minutes," Jim said. "And how goes hearing her little adventure?"

"Have a listen," Freddie sighed. "Rory, tell Uncle Jim how you got here."

"Walked," Rory started. "Saw puppies!"

Jim nodded. 

"Cars!" Rory continued. "Go fast!"

"Oh Christ," Jim whispered.

"Then kitty!" Rory cheered. "And walking."

"Riveting, isn't it?" Freddie mumbled, wincing when Jim elbowed him. "Well!"

"Scary man," Rory said gravely."And you!"

She pointed to Jim. 

"The man that brought you here was scary?" Jim asked. "Because he was angry?"

Rory nodded. 

"He didn't mean to be scary, I don't think," Jim said. "He knew you weren't safe out there, and I think that scared him." 

"Scary man," Rory protested. "Where kitty?"

"You want to see our cats, or the cat that you saw on your way here?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah," Rory replied, then shrieked happily as Delilah wandered in. "There kitty!"

"Delilah was the one you saw?" Jim asked, picking Delilah up so Rory could gently pet her. "She was out around that time...maybe she knew, somehow. It sounds silly-"

"But it's possible, and thank goodness for her, and the man that brought her here," Freddie interrupted with a relieved sigh. "We're going to keep calling your dad, and you can have your snack with Delilah, alright Rory?"

Rory was enamored with Delilah though, carefully wiping her little fingers off on her coat before each pet of Delilah's fur. 

"You go try and call him, I'll keep an eye on these two," Jim said. "Make sure no one goes on walkabout again."

Rory stuck her tongue out at him, but they could only laugh.

"You are such your father's child," Freddie smiled, and headed for the phone.

\---

"If we go to Freddie's, we can make a proper search party," John said. "We'll have Jim and any of their friends that happen to be there who can help."

Roger was reduced to now exhausted sobs, leaned into Brian's shoulder, past responding or planning. 

To Brian, it was a shock. Roger was usually fairly level-headed, but this was a reminder that none of them were immune to panic, fear, and tears when it came to their families. But it made planning their next move difficult. 

"Pick him up," John said, helping Brian pull Roger to his feet. "We're going now. The longer we wait..."

He hesitated. They all knew what he was implying, but saying it out loud made the possibility of something terrible having happened far too real. 

"She's going to be fine," Brian soothed as he helped John drag Roger to his car. "You can't look a mess like this when we find her. She won't know what to do if you're this upset."

"She should be upset," Roger managed to splutter out. "She's probably terrified and hurt and she'll know it's my fault."

Brian sighed, and let Roger fall weeping against his shoulder again as they settled into the backseat of John's car. 

\---

"Is Rory your new best friend?" Jim laughed as Delilah settled onto Rory's lap. They'd moved to the sitting room, where there was at least a TV to put on in case Rory got bored enough to fuss (not ideal, but with no toys or children's books on hand, there was little choice.) But she was more than happy to hug and pet Delilah, shouting joyfully every time Delilah so much as purred or licked her hand. 

"Love Lila," Rory declared. 

"I think she loves you too," Jim said. "And thank you for being gentle with her."

He'd feared she might be too rough (other kids nearby had proven more than once that it was a learned and taught skill, how to be around a cat) but she was an angel.

A runaway angel, but an angel still. 

"They aren't answering," Freddie said, an edge of panic in his voice as he walked into the room. "I must have rang them fifty times in a row, if not more. And nothing!"

"They might still be searching," Jim said. "We'll try again in a bit."

"And in the meantime, we're just temporary dads now?" Freddie laughed. 

"They say children happen before you're ready for them," Jim giggled and shrugged. 

"Yeah, but I don't think anyone means that like this," Freddie scoffed. "Poor Roger. I can't stop thinking about him; he must be an absolute wreck right now." 

"Miss Daddy," Rory said as she hugged Delilah gently. 

"I think he misses you too," Freddie said. "He's probably very worried about you."

"Give him a hug," Rory said.

"And then he won't worry?"

Rory nodded. 

"You'll have to do that when we get a hold of him and get him over here to get you," Freddie said. "Don't imagine our little afternoon together is going to happen now..."

"It still could," Jim mused. "Roger might need to calm down a bit anyway once he's here."

"I suppose so," Freddie nodded. "I'm just itching to get a hold of him. I know I'd be losing my mind if we couldn't find one of the cats-"

"You have done that," Jim interrupted.

"Yes," Freddie said. "But I can't imagine the intensity of it, with a child..."

"She did say he would need a hug," Jim winced. "Probably going to be a pretty strong hug."

\---

"I'll walk," Roger choked out, striding off down the middle of the road, ignoring the cars honking as they drove around him.

"Go after him," John said, still fighting to change the flat tire on his car. "I'll catch up and meet you two at Freddie's."

"But-"

"You know he isn't going to wait, and he'll get himself killed at this rate," John interrupted. "You know it as well as I do. Go!"

Brian took off after Roger, gently tugging him to the sidewalk as more cars headed their way. 

"What on earth was that bullshit?"

"I don't care, okay?" Roger shouted. "This is one of the scariest fucking moments of my life! My child might well be dead, and I don't know, and we've no idea where she is! How the fuck am I going to face her mum? Or anyone ever again? Who's going to want to be around someone who let's something terrible happen to their own child?!"

"You don't know that she's hurt!" Brian shouted back. "She could be perfectly fine! And you getting hit by a fucking car won't make you find her any faster, so get your shit together!" 

They paused, breathing hard, glaring at each other. 

Roger's face fell, and he stepped forward to fall into Brian's arms. "I'm sorry. I just fucking hate this and I hate myself for letting it happen."

"Anybody would feel that way," Brian said as he hugged him tight. "But you can't keep falling to pieces. Not right now, at least. Let's get her found, make sure she's safe, and then you can sit down with me away from her and break apart and get all of this out, alright?" 

Roger nodded, and wiped away tears as he stepped back from Brian. "We're what, seven blocks away from Freddie's?"

"About that," Brian replied. "But it'll feel like less if we run."

\---

"It's okay," Freddie soothed, bouncing Rory on his hip. "Your dad will be here soon. Look, Delilah's looking out the window for him! Should we look too?"

Rory buried her face in his shoulder and wailed louder. It had hit randomly, but hard, this moment of Rory seemingly realizing exactly what she'd done and what was going on. As to how much she understood, they couldn't know, but it was enough to be upsetting clearly. 

"I'll call again," Jim murmured, rubbing Rory's back gently. "If I get a hold of him, you can talk to him. That way you'll both know that you're each okay."

Rory rubbed her face into Freddie's shoulder, her little hands hanging onto the fabric of his shirt like her life depended on it. 

"Good luck," Freddie told him with a hint of misery and fear in his voice. He was trying to hide it for Rory's sake, but it was troubling to see her seemingly inconsolable. 

"What about seeing the other cats?" Freddie suggested. "By the time we're done finding them all, your dad might be here!"

But she wasn't interested. "I stay here?"

"You mean until your dad is here, and you're ready to go home? Of course," Freddie assured her. 

"No," she sniffled. "If...no Daddy..."

"Oh goodness," Freddie sighed. "I mean...your mum might have something to say about it, but if we must bring up that horrid an idea, then yes, you could stay here if somehow your dad couldn't come get you. Honestly, we wouldn't put you back out on the street, Rory."

"I stay here," Rory mumbled miserably. 

"You'll stay here," Freddie said, bouncing on his feet as he wandered towards the hall, to see if Jim had any luck in reaching Roger. 

Only to nearly drop Rory, as someone tried to pound down the front door. 

"Jim!"

"I've got it," Jim hung up the phone and rushed to the door, swinging it open. 

Roger fell into the house, seemingly stuck stunned on his knees. "Rory?"

"Yeah," Freddie replied. "Little shit walked herself here, can you believe? She is very much your child, Rog."

Brian was just behind Roger, and helped Jim pick him up off the floor. 

"I was so fucking terrified," Roger sobbed, taking an equally upset Rory from Freddie and hugging her tight. "Why in the hell did you leave the house?!"

"Don't know!" Rory wailed back.

It maybe shouldn't have been funny, they all knew, but the timing of it was horribly perfect. They all broke into laughter, even Roger.

"Please don't do that again," Roger told her. "If you want to go somewhere, you wait for me, okay?"

Rory nodded and lifted her head from Roger's shoulder. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Roger muttered. "I'm just so glad you're alright, the things I was fearing-"

"We maybe shouldn't tell the toddler," Brian interrupted. 

"Right," Roger nodded. 

"Did we also lose John?" Freddie asked. 

"He's on the way," Brian replied. "It was a real fucking comedy of errors, getting us here."

"You know, we did try calling to let you know she was here," Jim said. "We must have missed you every time you were near the house." 

"Like I said: comedy of errors," Brian sighed. "I feel like I can finally breathe again, fucking hell."

"Agreed," Freddie said. "Shall we go sit and wait for John, and catch our collective breath?"

"See kitty," Rory added. 

"Delilah's her new best friend," Jim explained. "So be ready for that tantrum once you have to leave."

"I'll take it," Roger laughed. "Even a million tantrums. I'm just so happy she's alright, and she was safe this whole time. God I think I'm gonna pass out."

"All the more reason to come sit down," Freddie said, and gently tugged Roger by the arm towards the sitting room, Brian and Jim right behind them. "We don't need anyone else lost or hurt or anything..."

The phone rang, and Jim picked up quickly as the rest of them moved past. "Hello?"

"So...I'm going to be late," John sighed. "I'm walking to find someone to tow my car. Turns out my spare tire was no better than the original; fucker burst as soon as I tried to drive again."

"No, you aren't," Jim said. "I'm going to drive out and pick you up, and bring you back here, and we'll call someone to go get your car. We've had quite enough waiting and excitement for one day, I think."

He hung up with John's agreeing laugh on his ear, and picked up a set of keys from the entryway table before heading out, only to pause and check that the door was locked. Once, twice, then a third and fourth time for good measure. 

They couldn't be too safe after all, with Rory in the house.


End file.
